Death and Flowers
by stealingETERNITY
Summary: I looked at the flowers in my grasp, watched as they trembled as my hands shook. The petals were gray and wilted, the stems dried out and brittle. Dead.


"Alianora! Alianora!"

I heard my name drift through the garden, Cissa's soft voice nearly lost in the thickness of the flowers.

"Alianora?"

I scrambled further into the cover of the tall flowers, clutching my bouquet of flowers to my chest with one hand while I crawled on hands and knees over the dirt. I didn't want to speak to Narcissa right now, not after what had happened. Bending my legs, I tucked my chin onto my knees, the flowers clutched in my hand as I angrily wiped tears away with the other.

Cissa was my best friend, wasn't she? There was the sound of something trampling over flowers, crushing fragile petals beneath their feet. But Cissa couldn't be my friend anymore, not after what she'd done.

I looked at the flowers in my grasp, watched as they trembled as my hands shook. The petals were gray and wilted, the stems dried out and brittle. Dead.

"We can run away," I'd said, smiling at him as I lowered my nose to the roses he'd handed me.

He was seated on a tree branch, surrounded by brilliant green leaves. Some had fallen into his hair, crowning him as the king that he was- both to me and society. My eyes roamed over his pale face, over each chiseled feature. The thin nose, sharp cheekbones, high forehead… All features that I'd come to love- had always loved since the first time my mother had dragged me to tea with his mother. And still, after all these years, he still fascinated me.

Why did he have to be so flawless?

"Don't you think that's a bit rash, Alianora?" he drawled, waving his wand and procuring a family of birds that settled onto the tree branches around him, one of them fluttering down to rest on my shoulder as I looked up at him.

"No." He didn't look down at me as I answered; instead he looked at the birds hopping along the branch, their little feet clutching the bark of the tree.

"Why do we have to run away?" He was actually confused. How did he not _see_? Surely he knew that we couldn't get married in London- or anywhere in England for that matter! Our families would never allow it.

"Your family would kill you and me both if we married!"

He chuckled. "But your family wouldn't. I'm sure they'd be thrilled if we married."

I glared at him. "What? Are you saying that my family is _poor_?" I sounded calm to my own ears, yet I wasn't sure of the emotions inside of me. I was rarely angry, it showed that the other person had beat you, had hit a nerve.

"Of course not, Alianora. I'm simply stating that _any_ pureblood family would want their daughter- or even their son- to marry me. The fortune that I am to inherit is worth more than that of the ten richest pureblood families combined." He finally looked down at me and smiled, his teeth flashing in the sunlight.

"Conceited arse," I muttered to myself.

His grin only grew wider.

**********

"Tell me your biggest secret," I whispered.

Narcissa's face glowed even in the shadow of the tree we were sitting beneath. She always radiated with an inner light. "Only if you promise to tell me yours," she whispered back.

I nodded in agreement and waited in anticipation. Cissa never gossiped, never told anyone about her secrets. I was the privileged one. _Me_, Alianora Vipond. The girl who'd sat beneath the Sorting Hat for nearly an hour, waiting to be sorted into Slytherin House. The Hat had wanted me to go to Ravenclaw- actually, he'd said I had nearly evenly split traits for all four houses- but I'd wished fervently to be in Slytherin after seeing Narcissa sorted there. And so I had joined the coven of snakes.

Now I stared at Cissa's vibrant blue eyes, trying to read her secret in them before she actually told me.

"You know Sirius, my cousin?"

I nodded. He'd been sorted into Gryffindor, a disgrace to his family. He lived with the Potters now, his best friend was James. They were several years younger than Cissa and I.

"Well… I visit him sometimes. Every week, actually."

"What?" Narcissa and her sisters were forbidden from seeing their rebellious cousin. Sirius had nearly ruined the pureblood family's esteemed name, being friends with Gryffindors and half-breeds.

"I- I tell mum and dad that I'm going to tea with you, and then I go to the Potters' house. They're very nice, you know. Not at all like what Bella said."

I could only stare at her in shock. I hadn't taken her as _that_ type of person. She'd always been an obedient girl in my eyes, someone who followed her parent's rules exactly. Prim and proper- _that _was Narcissa. Or at least that's what she'd been before now.

"Come on, Alianora. It isn't _that _terrible. I just visit him and talk. He can't be completely cut off from his family."

That was the thing I admired and envied most about Cissa. Not only was she beautiful on the outside, but she was brilliant on the inside too. She was kind, cared about people and their feelings- like this whole thing with Sirius.

"Now tell me yours."

"What?"

"Your secret! You promised to tell." She smiled at me, cupping her chin with her hands.

I grimaced. "I haven't got any."

"Sure you do. Everyone's got secrets."

I shook my head… like a dog. Very pureblood. _Not_.

"Well, here's one. Who do you like? Or do you not like anyone?" She waited for my answer, but it didn't come. Then she gasped. "You- you don't like a _girl_, do you?"

"Of course not!" I burst out, giggles erupting from my mouth at the astonished look on her face.

"Then tell me!" she whispered fiercely.

And so I told her. Cissa was the only person I ever told, the only soul in the world who knew _my_ secret.

**********

The sun was shining through the tall sunflowers, making the radiant yellow color of the flowers even more luminous. The large flowers covered the two of us lying on the ground, a cloak pinned beneath us as we looked up at the bits of summer sky showing through the sunflowers.

I sat up, reaching for a sunflower but my fingertips didn't close the gap. He sat up and- being taller than me and having longer arms than I did- closed his slender fingers around a bloom and gently snapped it off, handing it to me. "Beautiful," he murmured. "Just like you."

I felt my heart beat faster, heard my breaths became shallower as his face inched closer to mine. His breath fanned on my cheek, cold. A shiver made its way through my body as my eyes fluttered closed.

"Alianora." He chuckled my name and my eyes snapped open.

"Yes?" I whispered.

He shook his head, his hair tied back as usual, swinging over his back.

He wasn't going to kiss me. So I leaned forward and kissed him. It was perfection, out lips fit together flawlessly, our hands framed each other's faces gently as our eyes suddenly met, unblinking, unwavering.

We broke apart, breathing harshly. Then he suddenly got up, running away into the sunflowers, hidden from my view by the tall flowers.

"Wait!" I called, rushing to my feet and taking off after him.

His cloak stayed behind, our bodies still imprinted on the velvet material. And on top of the cloak, the golden sunflower. He'd said it was beautiful, just like me. So why had he run away?

**********

The light from the candles cast flickers of light over Narcissa's face, lighting her porcelain face as we pulled our witch's hats onto our heads. I was incredibly nervous, but I knew better than to speak with McGonagall so close by, so I stayed quiet and followed the other Slytherins to the Great Hall. My black robes, worn by all the students, felt heavy on my thin frame, like they were going to suffocate me.

We soon reached the Great Hall, staying in our straight line as we waited for Professor Dumbledore to begin his speech. His mouth opened and words came from his lips, but I didn't hear them. Cissa was nudging me with her elbow and I looked over at her sharply. What was so important to interrupt the Headmaster's speech on graduation day?

"What?" I hissed.

"I-"

Professor McGonagall looked at us and we shut our mouths, facing the Headmaster and listening to him briefly. When the Transfiguration professor was no longer watching us, Cissa continued.

"I'm sorry, Alianora."

I was puzzled. Sorry? For what?

"I won't be able to see you for a while after today."

I couldn't make any sense of her words. Not see her? But she was my best friend.

"I'm engaged."

I could only stare in shock, denial, and sadness.

"To be married."

We were just graduating today. Didn't she want to begin an independent life of her own instead of getting married immediately? She'd once confessed to me that she'd wanted to do that. So why change her mind?

Ahead of us, students were receiving scrolls from Dumbledore then marching off to sit at their house tables for one final feast at Hogwarts.

"To who?" I asked.

But her name had been called by the Headmaster. Narcissa straightened her back and lifted her head proudly, striding confidently towards Dumbledore. The line I was standing in moved forward a bit. I was next. Cissa was going to be married. Soon. And I wouldn't be able to see her. Why?

My name was called. Lifting my head, I tried to be as confident as Cissa had been. Beautiful, I told myself. Inside and out.

**********

The chandelier cast its gold light on the ballroom. Dancers glided across the marble floors, holding each other closely. I watched, silent, observing everything before me with confusion. The engagement party was being held in a ballroom I knew very well. I'd danced here with him so many times, our foreheads touching as we moved to imaginary music. He'd made rose petals float down from the ceiling and drape themselves over my shoulders, cling to my hair.

"Exquisite," he'd said, tracing my lips with a finger. His lips had followed his finger, grazing a trail down my neck, brushing over my lips, pressing gently over my closed eyelids.

Now a house elf came out and rang a small silver bell, waving us towards the dining room. I found my seat at the long table that dominated the huge room. Other purebloods surrounded me, gossiping, whispering, glaring jealously…

On my napkin was a bouquet of flowers. They were gray. Dead. I looked down the table to see if anyone else had flowers like I did. No one did.

There was a sudden silence in the room. People were looking expectantly at a pair of closed doors and I glanced out the glass doors that led to an all too familiar garden as a firework burst into a multitude of colors in the night sky. The closed doors slowly swung open but I was staring at something else. There was a card attached to the bouquet of flowers. I could barely see a name on the other side of the card. There was a flash of blond hair on the other side of the door. Cissa. But I suddenly stood up and raced out the glass doors that led to the gardens, racing into the maze of flowers and bushes and trees that I'd explored so many times.

I knew how to reach the center and I lifted my dress robes as I heard someone racing after me. Cissa. I'd ruined her engagement party. I had to hide from her, I couldn't face her. Spotting a clump of tall flowers, I dove into them, hoping the huge blooms covered my trembling body.

"Alianora! Alianora!"

I heard my name drift through the garden, Cissa's soft voice nearly lost in the thickness of the flowers.

"Alinaora?"

I scrambled further into the cover of the tall flowers, clutching my bouquet of flowers to my chest with one hand while I crawled on hands and knees over the dirt. I didn't want to speak to Narcissa right now, not after what had happened. Bending my legs, I tucked my chin onto my knees, the flowers clutched in my hand as I angrily wiped tears away with the other.

Cissa was my best friend, wasn't she? There was the sound of something trampling over flowers, crushing fragile petals beneath their feet. But Cissa couldn't be my friend anymore, not after what she'd done.

I looked at the flowers in my grasp, watched as they trembled as my hands shook. The petals were gray and wilted, the stems dried out and brittle. Dead. I knew who the flowers were from. He'd given me sunflowers and roses, told me I was beautiful and exquisite.

I turned the card over and read the perfect penmanship.

_Dead. Just like my heart._

My eyes blurred with tears as I tried to read the final word.

_Lucius_.


End file.
